New headphones for deep, refreshing sleep

A headband with built-in earphones could lull you to deep sleep, without even waking a partner sleeping by your side.

Existing versions are wired with a phone, but a wireless version, slated to go on sale in April, has just won a prestigious award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"Being able to sleep soundly is crucial to feeling well overall, and SleepPhones help by playing relaxing audio, drowning out noise, and establishing a positive bedtime routine," says Wei-Shin Lai, one of the inventors of the headphones.

The firm began selling the product in 2007, when Lai was working as a doctor.

"In 2007, I had trouble falling back to sleep after patient phone calls late at night as a family doctor. My husband suggested that I listen to something to take my mind off of patient concerns," says Lai, the Daily Mail reports.

"Since I didn't want to disturb my husband while he slept, I needed headphones or ear buds I could wear in bed. But there was nothing comfortable in the market so I came up with stuffing speakers inside a headband," adds Lai.

"There's a version of our product for sports, a version for sleep, and now a wireless version that eliminates cords entirely by playing back media from any Bluetooth-enabled device," concludes Lai.

The current version has a wire so it can be plugged into an iPod or bedside alarm, but the next version will be wireless, the firm said Sunday.